What happens when nursing homes start closing due to budget cuts?

[babylonsister]

Dad lives in FL and read about this in his local paper today. He's 81 and still relatively healthy, but this is worrisome.


Florida Budget Cuts May Hit The Elderly Hard

By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

Published: January 7, 2009


TALLAHASSEE - State budget pressures are bearing down hard on Florida's 4.3 million senior citizens.

Lawmakers are proposing to slash millions from health and related spending on seniors as part of the plan to close a $2.3-billion hole in the state budget. Cuts would affect everything from nursing homes to in-home services for seniors to a program helping caregivers to those with Alzheimer's.

Of greatest concern to AARP: deep cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes.

"This will really force them to reduce staffing levels - that's our main concern," said Leslie Spencer, lobbyist for AARP Florida, representing people age 50 and older. "Studies show once you reduce staffing levels, it has a direct impact on the quality of care."

The Senate is proposing a 10 percent Medicaid rate cut, or $73.5 million, for what remains of the fiscal year ending June 30. House lawmakers are proposing a cut of 9.6 percent. Spencer said she fears such reductions will prevent some homes from complying with state nursing staff requirements.

more...

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/07/na-budget-cuts-may-hit-elderly-hard/news-breaking/

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[w8liftinglady]

2. Kicking...we have a heck of a time finding places for our non-funded patients

newly disabled folks who are waiting for medicaid.

[damntexdem]

3. Residents will suffer. As will many others.

[Warpy]

4. Some relatives of elderly people will be called to pick them up

with little or no notice.

Elderly people with no relatives will be dumped into emergency rooms.

Hospitals will then be forced to find them other nursing homes, competing with families already stretched to the breaking point and unable to care for family at home. The budget crisis will worsen because hospital care is ten times what nursing home care is.

That's what it means.

[Cleita]

5. I guess families are going to have to clear out the dining room or other

to make room for elderly relatives. If everyone in the family is working that means that the elderly person will be on their own all day. It's a sad situation. I really wish there could be a choice, if family is willing to care for an elderly relative, of them receiving the nursing home reimbursement instead so they could get some help.

[babylonsister]

6. That's 'if' they have a family.

Very sad. And if a person has a disease like Altzheimer's and require care, it's an intolerable situation, yet it could happen.

[Cleita]

7. That's true. We have gone back in time to Dicken's time.

What happened? I blame it on our commercially saturated lives. I really wish there was a way we could change this.

[cap]

8. People need to ask themselves how they will be taking care of their mother

let's put this question in concrete terms.

[my2sense]

9. K & R

[TheKentuckian]

10. What's next competing with 3 year olds for a position in the sweatshops?

A reboot on this raggedy economy probably isn't going to do it, too many bluescreens of death. It's time for a reload, we need to rethink virtually everything, we cannot continue as we have and I can't see why anyone but the wealthy would want to. It won't be long before even "rich" won't be anything but what used to middle class with a few feudal overlords and massive amounts of poverty.

[patrice]

13. We need co-housing and collaborative economic units. nt

[csziggy]

11. More of the Bushlegacy - this one is Jeb's

We in Florida need to keep reminding the country of how Jeb Bush's policies are bankrupting Florida. Just in case the Repubs decide to run Jeb for Prez one day. :puke:

Madfloridian has a good post on the other Jeb legacies:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4764833&mesg_id=4764833

Florida is No. 3 is prison population, with more than 100 thousand

Florida is No. 2 in foreclosures

Florida is No. 50 for children's health care

Florida ranks last in access to emergency care

Florida ranks No. 50 in education funding

The Florida health care system ranks No. 50

Florida ranks No. 50 in high-school graduation rates

Florida ranks No. 1 in the number of convicted public officials from 1998-2007

Florida ranks No. 1 in requests for food stamps

Florida ranks No. 1 in mortgage fraud

[patrice]

12. I am not sure about the near term, but in the not too distant future . . .

Elder Care and Special Needs Care will look more like this: http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/default.aspx?id=146

Smaller!

More not-for-profit homes, instead of corporate structures.

More autonomous, egalitarian, collaborative relationships between Residents and direct care Staff that results in case mixes that take advantage of the professional skills available as well as sources of federal and state aide.

The fact that Federal regulations do not prohibit Residents from working in the home may be seen as an opportunity to enhance the quality of life of Residents and the care provided.

I'm not sure how it would work with non-profits, but I hope some form of equity will be possible for Residents/Families and also equity as a retirement investment for Staff.